CNN, one of the world’s leading news organizations, today announced that it has launched its official iPad app. The new app will present CNN’s top stories, as well as blogs, videos and other articles from around the news network. Users can also share articles via Facebook and Twitter and watch live video of major world events as they happen.

“High quality, world-class journalism is what CNN does best, whether live breaking news, hard-hitting interviews or in-depth investigations, and our iPad app presents that content to the world in a wholly new way,” said KC Estenson, senior vice president and general manager of CNN.com. “This app harnesses the best of what the iPad offers by leveraging striking photos and videos; elegant, multi-touch navigation; and the ability to share content with your friends via social media.”

“One of the things about the app that excites us most is the ability to serve the news needs of iPad users while also exposing them to original, enterprise content from CNN that will surprise and delight them,” added Louis Gump, vice president of CNN Mobile. “The CNN App was built from the ground up with our consumers in mind, and we are proud of the new CNN experience we’ve created for the device.”

To celebrate the launch of the iPad app CNN has also announced that the iPhone and iPod versions are now free, and that the international edition has received an update which will allow users to watch live video of breaking news. So ultimately today is a big day for news junkies no matter how you slice it.

With so many news apps out there it will be interesting to see which way users lean and if any one service emerges as a dominant player in the app space. One thing’s for sure though, with the BBC, NY Times, CNN and tons of others all vying for your attention, there’s basically no way for anyone with an iPad to ever feel like they’re out of the loop on what’s going on in the world.

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CNN App for iPad

iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad
Released: 2010-12-13 :: Category: News

As the iPad slowly siphons away newspaper customers tired of getting ink on their hands, newspapers themselves have been quick to launch attractive official apps in the hope of winning back readers who are looking for reliable sources of information. Today the Washington Post joins the charge as it has released an official iPad app. Best of all, it’s free well into next year.

The app’s description invites users to “Get closer to the story with our Live Topics feature. It combines the best coverage of the most talked-about news of the day with social media conversations from Twitter and Facebook. Enjoy rich photo galleries with work from our renowned photojournalists and extensive video content so you can go deeper into every angle of every story. Download stories to read later, even when you are offline. ”

Those who download the app now will enjoy a free subscription to the Post until February 2011, at which point a subscription will be required. No pricing model has yet been announced, but it’s likely that the Post will offer monthly and yearly subscriptions, and may even charge by the article for those who only want access to a specific piece of journalism.

The Post’s move follows in the footsteps of the New York Times and New York Post, both of which have launched a similar service. Indeed, this approach tends to be the wave of the future, and it seems that the newsstand has gone virtual, with all the major outlets flocking to the iPad in the hopes of saving themselves from extinction. In a delicious twist that not even M. Night Shyamalan could have come up with, it may indeed be that one of the very devices which was accused or ruining the newspaper industry could actually save it. The newspaper is dead, long live the e-newspaper!

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The Washington Post for iPad

iPad Only App - Designed for the iPad
Released: 2010-11-08 :: Category: News

If you prefer the shiny screen of an iPhone or iPad to the rough texture of a newspaper or glossy pages of a magazine then you’re in luck, as Kobo has announced it is expanding its eReader service to include dozens of US and Canadian periodicals. Those who download the free app are granted a two-week subscription to try out the service. If you like what you see, then you can choose to buy a monthly subscription for your chosen newspapers or magazines.

“Kobo continues to build on our commitment of making sure that consumers have the best reading experience on any device with the largest selection of content worldwide, ” said Michael Serbinis, CEO of Kobo. “We’ve had tremendous success with eBooks and we’re very excited to expand the Kobo offering to include newspapers and magazines with a two-week free trial, allowing consumers to try first without any obligation. We continue to bring on top publishers to ensure that Kobo’s newspaper and magazine offering meets our customers’ highest expectations.”

The company has a solid lineup of periodicals available, though the selection is far from exhaustive. Newspapers include the New York Post and New York Times, and the National Review and Harvard Business Review can be found in the magazine section. For the full list head on over to Kobo’s website and see if anything tickles your fancy. Subscription rates vary, but usually range from around $2 a month for magazines to $15 a month for a daily paper.

While this is definitely a viable option for folks wanting to use their iOS device as an eReader, it’s also important to shop around and compare prices. The New York Times and Post already offer iPad subscriptions directly, so it’s really a matter of deciding which service is best for you. Still, now you have yet another choice and Kobo will group all your subscriptions into one convenient location, so it’s definitely something to consider.

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Kobo - 1 million FREE Books – Read eBooks!

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2009-02-26 :: Category: Books

With print on the way out and digital here to stay, it’s becoming more and more important for print newspapers to go digital (and find a way to make money doing so). The New York Times is trying to stay ahead of the digital curve, already coming out with its NYTimes app, by licensing the “DNA” of its app, as well as app maintenance, to other papers.

According to their press release, their “Press Engine” will support, “partial offline reading and the ability to save articles; share functionality; photo gallery, audio and video; horizontal and vertical reading; simple search; and device-standard advertising units.”

A few papers have already signed up for the template, including the Dallas Morning News, who is said to have hopes to have an iPad app, using the Press Engine, up by the beginning of next year. How the Dallas Morning News, or any other buyer will make money on the venture stands to be seen, but I would expect to see a bunch of Times Reader clones in the App Store in the near future.

“This is part of the multi-faceted move into new technology” at Times Co., said Ed Atorino, an analyst at Benchmark Co. in New York. “They’ve got the content, they’ve got the brainpower. We’ll see if people will pay for this stuff.”

[Source: TechCrunch, Bloomberg]